


Good news and bad

by zmeischa



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Fandom Kombat 2013, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 00:18:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1074758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zmeischa/pseuds/zmeischa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Margaery receives some news.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good news and bad

Many thanks to [darkling](http://archiveofourown.org/works/) for beta-reading

 

 

 

“I have two pieces of news for you, and both are good,” announced Mace Tyrell. “I’ve found a husband for you, and he is the lord of the Iron Islands”.

 _Dear Margaery, I have two pieces of news for you_ , Margaery thought. _You will marry the man who killed two babes and burned his guardian’s castle, and rumor has it he lost his wits afterwards. And you will spend the rest of your days on wild, poor islands with reavers and goats for company._

“At least he is a man grown,” Lady Olenna said. That was certainly true: Mace Tyrell had only recently tried to betroth Margaery to seven-year-old Rickon Stark.

In fact, her father had just one piece of news for her and not very new at that: no-one wished to marry Margaery. At eighteen, after being wed to three kings of Westeros, she had used up all her luck. So in the end she boarded a ship and she went across the Summer See to meet Theon Greyjoy, who had agreed to take her for his wife.

He seemed to be looking forward to it: when he met her at the harbor, his eyes were shining, his cheeks were aglow with a feverish blush, and he was so excited he could barely speak. His sister, Asha, a plain girl with a long nose, did the talking. Margaery was rather taken aback when she realized that the wedding was to take place that same day – the bridegroom was even more impatient than she had believed. _At least he is a man grown_ , she was thinking as they were riding from the harbor his long black hair tousled by the wind.

The Iron Islands worshipped neither the old gods nor the new, and Margaery tried not to wince when the priest of the Drowned God splashed her face with seawater. Theon, his hands shaking, put the black cloak with a golden wriggling kraken on it, and Margaery Tyrell, thrice queen of Westeros, became Margaery Greyjoy, Lady of the Iron Islands.

During the wedding feast he kept looking at her smiling mysteriously, his eyes and cheeks still burning. Margaery couldn’t help trembling. _He’s a man grown_ , she thought, _and he wants me. It seems like I’m about to get a real wedding night_.

Asha had told her that there was no bedding tradition on the Iron Islands, and Margaery was very glad of that: she was eyeing warily the boisterous lords covered with scars and gold trinkets. The thought of them undressing her made her feel uneasy. When the time came, Asha simply took her hand and said: “Now”.

In the bedroom, three handmaidens helped her undress. Margaery hesitated a bit then took of her shift – she’d married a man grown, he’d want to see her, – and, naked as on her name’s day she lay down on the bed waiting for her lord husband.

In a little while the bedroom door opened and Theon walked in stumbling at every step. At the feast Margaery had barely seen him take a sip from his cup, and at first she was surprised he'd managed to get so drunk. He made one more step, and yet another, and she recollected that she had never actually seen him walk: he had been either on horseback or someone had been walking arm in arm with him. Theon slowly hobbled closer and nearly tumbled down the bed. Margaery gave him a gingerly smile, he looked and her and started to laugh. 

He was laughing loudly, piercingly, mirthlessly, as if on the verge of tears. Then he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

Margaery patted his hair and saw that it was tinted, gray at the roots. She took the glove from his right hand and shuddered. She undressed him and learned the reason for his laugh.

At the break of the day Asha brought them food.

“Good morning to you, sweet good-sister”, she said gently. “I have good news and bad news. You’re no longer a maid, dear. My brother’s not a small boy, he doesn’t share his bed with men and he had lived through his wedding night – and made you his wife”. She rolled up her sleeve, slashed her bare arm with a dagger and sprinkled the sheets with blood. “But the sad thing is you’re barren. Anyway, my brother has no need of heirs, he already has me. Enjoy your meal, sweet Margaery!”  

“The good news is we have a maester who knows his potions and doesn’t ask too many questions,” Theon said after Asha closed the door. His eyes were not sparkling anymore, and his face was paler than the sheets.

“And if asked, he’ll give me the same potion he gave you yesterday, is that it?” Margaery asked.

Theon ran his hand over his forehead.

“I was talking about moon tea. If you’re careful… I’m sorry about all that. Don’t ask the maester for the yesterday’s potion, it gives a splitting headache on the morrow”.

Margaery realized that she didn’t hate him.

“Lean back on your pillows, dear lord husband”, she said gently. “I know the best cure for the headache”.

She began patting his forehead and temples with her fingers, and Theon blissfully closed his eyes.

 _Dear Margaery, I have some news for you_ , Margaery thought, _good and bad. The bad news is for quite some time you’ll be yet again just a mother to your husband. The good news is  if you put your mind to it, your husband is sure to love you more than he loves his sister. And then we’ll see. We’ll just wait and see._

 


End file.
